The invention relates to pipeline ploughs.
In a known type of pipeline plough two shares are movable apart and the plough is lowered over the pipeline on a supporting cable extending from a vessel on the sea surface. The plough is thus positioned on the sea-bed with the pipeline between shares. The pipeline is then raised and the shares are brought together beneath the pipeline before ploughing begins.
Such a plough has the disadvantage that bridging structure interconnecting the shares and extending over the pipeline is subject to relatively high loading.
Furthermore, during ploughing there is a risk that the pipeline or the plough will be damaged by large forces exerted mutually by the bridging structure and the pipeline upon each other. Such forces result from the movements of the plough relative to the pipeline during ploughing, especially movements in the vertical plane.